Mass burials as death toll in Indonesia quake-tsunami tops 800

The death toll from Indonesia’s quake and tsunami disaster nearly doubled to eight hundred and thirty-two on Sunday and is expected to rise further, prompting authorities to announce mass burials in a desperate attempt to stave off disease.

As shattered survivors scoured make-shift morgues for loved ones, and authorities struggled to dig out the living or assess the scale of the devastation beyond the city of Palu, grim warnings came that the eventual toll could reach thousands.

Rescuers on Sulawesi island raced against the clock and a lack of equipment to save those still trapped in the rubble, with up to 60 people feared to be underneath one Palu hotel alone. Rescuers said they heard voices and a child’s cries from under the rubble.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the region Sunday afternoon, urging a “day and night” effort to save all those who can be saved.